Luke Butzen
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Luke Butzen
ParticipantHow many tracks are you loading?
Also, using anything externally is always going to take more time.
Participant“Would I be able to play CDJ 2000 once I figure out the XDJ?
what are the differences?..”Yes and besides the screen, not much really. It’s also definitely a regional thing too. I’ve been to maybe a few shows, (3 if I remember right) where there wasn’t a DJM and CDJs in the booth or on the table. But I’m here in the USA, CO specifically.
“it looks like I can only see the first three hot cues I set w Rekordbox on XDJ, is there a way to see more hot cues?”
Change the RB settings if possible to CDJ/XDJ and you should have 8 assuming you’re using 4.0+ But I don’t know if these will translate over to a CDJ/XDJ. (My guess is they won’t without a firmware upgrade to the player itself)
“I put comments/note on hot cues on Rekordbox, is there a way to see the comments on XDJ/CDJ? (playlist exported in USB)”
As far as I know, no. But you can put them the comments field but my RB is limited to the offline player and using CDJs in HID mode for SSL.
“how can I sort the tracks on XDJ/CDJ in order of the list I set up in rekord box?”
Preferences> CDJ & devices> Sort If none of those work for you, then you’re screwed. You can’t make a custom sort by category.
“is it possible to see the two waveforms horizontally on one screen on XDJ/CDJ like the display I see on serato dj?”
No. That’s exclusive to proper DJ software like Serato. A Definite plus if you DJ that way.
As for a place to practice, basically, if GC doesn’t have them out (Which they won’t as they want to sell the XDJ 700 & 1000s), then you’re either stuck renting them or seeing if any of your friends have a pair they’ll let you use/borrow. If there is also some smaller music stores, you could hit them up and see if they have a pair out. They won’t let you use them all day obviously, but it’s an hour or two at least.
Most places are starting to be more controller friendly, so if it’s a deal breaker for you, call them up and ask about you plugging in your SR to an open mixer channel and using your laptop. Unless you decide to spend the 3 to 500 $ to get a Serato box (Denon DS1 or Rane SL2) (assuming Serato usage here) or they have a 900 SRT and you already own the DVS upgrade, you can’t do HID anyways.
ParticipantEh, the NS6 is getting to be long in the tooth. I got it because it was a cheaper option and it was the closest I could get to 4 decks without buying a mixer & CDjs along with a controller. Plus it’s nice to just turn it on, then my monitors, and play music from my phone or get Rekordbox to my monitors using a channel as a stand alone audio out.
The reason I asked about the DVS function is because that’s a hard feature to find without going high end for the most part. So if you were NOT planning on using that feature, then heading to your local music store and trying out a bunch of controllers with Serato in mind will result in you being satisfied with your purchase and no regret about ditching the N4. But if you WERE at some point, keep it. The basic DVS inroads (Denon DS1 & Rane SL2) are not cheap by any means and second hand units in good condition or better go fast, if you can find any at all.
I’d still say either one of the Denons’ Vintage recommended should be high on the list looking over your initial post as they have a lot of ins & outs and that seems to be much needed when working those kinds of events. Yeah they don’t have pads, but really, unless you’re going to start doing a lot of performance things in your sets all of a sudden, they’re basically useless as that’s their main attraction. (plus, the 6000mk2 is also DVS upgrade compatible just like the n4).
Participant1.) Why are you using audacity to record your mixes? Do you not own the full version of Serato or Traktor? They offer native recording using your mix output (master output) and yes, the Mixtrack Pro mk1 is supported by traktor with a little configuring with headphone output & whatnot. I have no knowledge of VDJ or any other software, but the MTPmk1 is usually supported.
2.) What do you mean when your second channel isn’t working? Are you trying to use the booth, master or what? I’d say check your connections and just hope it’s something loose or not fully plugged in. If it’s the controller (loose wire inside of it, something broken like the soundcard/motherboard), then start hunting for a new one unless you want to try to fix it yourself. As that basically means your controller is broken assuming it’s not working at all and something is fully snapped in there.
3.) You could, but would lose the ability to use what’s on your controller besides the jogs (the entire center part of your controller minus library selection (Maybe)), and from my understanding, external mixing isn’t supported by Serato, no matter if you’re using DJ or Intro. I know traktor supports it, but only with the full software.
ParticipantHello!
Yeah, laptops and/or mobile computers are going to be needed as it pertains to Digital Djing for the foreseeable future. The S8 didn’t do what you need a computer for, which is processing the tracks and any effects you’re adding. All it really did was what the Pioneer 2k Nexus system did & what the Numark NV was trying to do, which is let you close your laptop & dj. But you still need a laptop if you don’t want to be limited to what’s on your usb drive and with the NV, you couldn’t actually close your laptop lid as it might put your computer to sleep or shut it down.
I’ll be honest, I don’t really see Stems taking off. It requires a lot of people to change how they view & think about music, labels have to have the resources to create stems files, (Or if NI decides to do it, that might help a lot but I doubt they will since they still haven’t figured out Traktor Pro 3) & hardware manufactures would have to change how they make controllers & most hardware from the ground up. Which is too cost prohibitive for all but Pioneer (and maybe the company who owns Akai & Numark) & they seem to really like Serato for 3rd party software & their new offering, Rekordbox DJ, which I’m sure they’ll be heavily investing in.
So I guess it comes down to asking yourself this: Do I want to stick with Rekordbox, possibly adding the DJ program software in the future (Which supports the RX as a controller, the hardware is it’s own system if you don’t want to use a laptop at a gig, and is a standalone mixer since you want to try DVS) or jump ship & possibly rethink how I DJ with the S8 not having jogs of any kind & relying on touchstrips & knobs & having a good enough laptop?
I’d say that you just go for the RX based on the fact that you seem to want to avoid having a laptop all the time and while it can’t do Stems, until there is mass adoption of the format, (or not) it’s pointless to keep waiting if you’re wanting to upgrade now. Plus, Pioneer is working on getting DVS for Rekordbox and it can be used standalone if you wanted to try it out with your turntables.
Best of luck & welcome again to the forums!
ParticipantYeah, don’t expect to use Serato with AMD. AMD has been doing lots of CPU at high clocks speeds (Which doesn’t equate to the Intel chips and how they’re built would be a good use of the word, hence why the A10 AMD chips get compared to I3s quite a bit and the FX series only gets compared to i5, with the i7s being in a class all their own.) If you want to blame Serato, go for it. You can blame traktor just as much. I noticed that they still work with 32 bit CPUs, which is ridiculous nowadays as just about every new laptop & even desktop uses 64 bit operating software due the increased optimization of the CPU, even the low end i3 & core 2 Duo chips in used laptops if they can support it.
You might get lucky & it works for you, but I’d say you shouldn’t upgrade as it might mess something up that was making it work with your AMD chip.
Best of luck!
ParticipantYeah, it’s basically that or the Pioneer SB2 for most folks it seems on here. If you’re already looking at the MTP3, just get it. They’ll last you for quite a while as long as you don’t treat them hard.
Participant“I currently use Serato DJ and my mixer of choice for the past 2 years has been my Numark N4.” Nice! Proud NS6 owner/user here and hopefully it’ll last me a good while.
As for your controller choices, I’d say Vintage is on the money if those are your style of gigs.
The Jogvision is a little “out there” and seems a little basic coming from an N4, same with the SB2 as the N4 is considered the next step up from the Mixtrack Pro entry level controllers. Which about where the Jogvision & SB2 are in the market. The Quad looks more like a 4 deck mixtrack pro 2 than a professional DJ controller. (And IMO, the 2 didn’t strike me as a great controller either) The NV is a bit on the bigger side (21.6″W x 13.4″D x 2.1″H) and the SR is basically the SB2 with proper performance pads.
Just an aside question that might help us even more, did you want to or did you use the DVS function on your N4?
Hello BTW.
ParticipantAfter finding your thread on the Serato forum, I’d say follow what the Serato mod posted about getting a support ticket started and keep the SL1 & old macbook you have until it works. They’ll try to work with you about finding out why and who knows, you may be the cause of an update.
Best of luck!
ParticipantAre you trying to do DVS or more like you have one song playing off a CDJ and you want to beatmatch with a song in your software? (Hybrid)
I can think of controllers that would serve either purpose, but not both.
ParticipantYeah. Basically, you’d just plug in your master out and he’d do the same to the mixer, with the master out from the mixer being your total master out. It sounds like you guys would just be doing a B2B set, switching every so often.
I’d say get a three or 4 channel mixer instead of 2 if you guys are serious about doing the mobile route. That way you can have something plugged in (Like an ipod or phone) in case something fails or a channel stops working and if someone wants to make an announcement, (Or you do) or give a quick speech, you can have a microphone plugged in or have that possibility at least.
ParticipantI guess what I’m saying is to have a back up plan, even if that’s a thumb drive full of mp3s or something. Because what happens if you’re controller doesn’t work? Or your laptop blue screens on you or something and it won’t work anymore? You can’t expect to get paid if your gear doesn’t work to begin with unless you signed an agreement before-hand stating you get paid in that instance.
Trust me, you don’t want to be the guy on stage who tells everyone that he can’t play because his laptop doesn’t work anymore or have to call whoever booked you and say you can’t play. No matter what, you have to have it buried in your brain that you’re dealing with electronics. Which is not a perfect science and they can fail and break. So having a backup plan of some sort will always be recommended.
ParticipantNo, there shouldn’t be any reason what-so-ever you need an interface unless you’re trying to record onto the same computer you’re using to play on, but I’m guessing that you use Serato, and it handles recording mixes just fine.
ParticipantSometimes.
I think there will always be a need for media players in some form. You can’t expect international DJs or producers who either are (or think they are DJs) to be carting around a controller during a tour. I know module is a thing, but you don’t see a lot of Djs doing module to begin with.
So getting familiar with their basic shape and whatnot is always going to be a good idea. That way you have a backup plan in case you controller or laptop fails. (Rare, but known to happen)
But since it sounds like you’ll be doing local gigs, once they know that you’re a controller DJ, it’ll just be a matter of how long they need your RCAs to be.
I would say get the emails and/or phone numbers of the guys you’ll be working with on a regular basis. It’s always worth it to shoot them an email or quick text/phone call before the gig and see what they expect from you each gig. Not always feasible, but the fewer surprises you have to deal with when you show up to a gig, the better.
ParticipantNo.
Really, you’re just learning the basics of your genre of choice. Once you’ve got those down, it’s a matter of how much of a show you want to make of it (FX, stems, and so on) and how fresh/interesting can you keep your library (The all important digging skill(s)). Really, it’s learning Rekordbox’s little quirks and the feel of using CDJs but that will be later on down the road.
I’d recommend though that if you are wanting to go down the club route, download Rekordbox and start gridding your tracks. That way you can start getting used to how I looks and what have you. Plus, it’s always good to have a backup plan in case your controller fails while you’re out and about.
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